FCT, Abuja – The highly anticipated presidential election petition tribunal is set to take centre stage in a couple of days following the confirmation of the official date of commencement.

According to the Punch, the presidential election petition tribunal has been set for Monday, May 8, when candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, will square off to contest the victory of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the newly elected president of Nigeria and candidate for the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Reports have confirmed that the presidential election petition tribunal will officially resume on Monday, May 8.

The national legal adviser for the APC, Ahmad El-Marzuq, confirmed the court date as being on Tuesday, May 2. He also revealed that a brief had been placed on his desk, and they were prepared to start the hearing. He said:

“We have been briefed about the hearing coming up next week.”

When asked if the tribunal would be completed before the May 29 presidential inauguration, El-Marzuq replied:

“But who told you the election petitions at the tribunal must necessarily be concluded before May 29?

“Are you saying if they were not concluded before President Buhari leaves office, the government should be left in a vacuum and the president-elect should not be sworn in? It is not a must.”

Also confirming this development, a member of Tinubu’s legal team, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) said:

“Yes the hearing is on Monday, but it’s for a pre-hearing session. The hearing is to clarify if there are any applications before the main hearing will start. The timetable will be set for the hearing of the substantive matters.”

Meanwhile, Atiku’s legal counsel is confident that the jury will render a fair verdict, according to Mike Ozekhome, who also confirmed the tribunal’s start date.

He stated that the party and his client possessed sufficient substantial evidence to reclaim his mandate. 

“We are hopeful that justice shall be served without the tribunal listening to the blaring sirens of power, or being swayed by officialdom or government jack-bootism,” he said.

The Labour Party, on the other hand, stated that the tribunal has the obligation and responsibility to administer justice in accordance with the statutory provisions of the Electoral Act.

Yunusa Tanko, the spokesperson of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, had this to say:

“I think they should (be able to conclude it). The Electoral Act was very clear in stating that all cases must have finished before the handing over. So let’s see what they are going to do